Hi Twins Fans!
Now that the 2009 season is over I compiled a list of what I thought were the Top Ten moments for the Twins. You may agree or disagree, but the Top Ten Moments come from me watching the Twins during the entire 2009 season. I think all of us will agree that it was a very thrilling season for the Twins. Excluding the final "play-in game," or the 163rd game of the season, I will chronicle the Top Ten in the next few weeks, counting down from number 10 to number 1. Already I wrote of the number 10 moment, Ron Gardenhire winning his 700th game as the Twins Manager, just as he was concluding his 8th season as "skipper" of the Twins.
#9 TWINS MAKE MID-SEASON AND LATE SEASON ACQUISITIONS IN THEIR BID TO WIN THE CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP … After spinning their wheels for the first four months of the season, the Twins made some very interesting and productive moves to see if the new players couldn’t "jump start" the team to a better than .500 record and make a bid to pass the Tigers and White Sox and win the division. And "jump start" the moves did for the Twins, as the acquisition of SS Orlando Cabrera proved to be a terrific trade. The Twins traded a minor league infielder, Tyler Ladendorf for Cabrera and immediately Cabrera was installed as the Twins everyday shortstop. Cabrera became an instant hit with his teammates, the fans, and the organization. He ended up playing in a combined 160 games with Oakland and Minnesota and was a sparkplug in the Twins surge to the Division Title. Just a week later the Twins made another trade, acquiring P Carl Pavano from the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitcher, Yohan Pino. Pavano stepped into the Twins starting rotation, made 12 starts and was a five game winner (four losses). In his first start vs the Tigers in Detroit, Pavano pitched 7 shutout innings and pitched the Twins to a big win. Pavano, much like Cabrera, became a team leader, and was amazingly effective in helping some of the Twins young pitchers, starters and relievers. Lastly the Twins made one more move. The Kansas City Royals designated RP Ron Mahay for assignment, and the Twins picked up his contract. The southpaw fit right into the bullpen mix, and was a key reliever down the stretch. Mahay appeared in 16 games and pitched to a low 2.00 ERA. There’s no question the Twins made some risky moves to improve the team in the final two months of the season, and all of the moves paid off in the Twins bid to win the Central Divsion.
Next up is highlight number 8 and it has a lot to do with the Twins "power surge" in the ‘09 season.
"Touch ‘em All,"
John Gordon
